28.03.2024

Care of chickens: proper conditions of detention and nutrition the Chicks

Chicks born in the wild, at first patronized by the mother hen. If inexperienced babies hatched in the incubator, care for and monitor them included in your responsibilities.

Therefore, in order to avoid various troubles related to the health of the younger Pets need to observe the rules of feeding, to maintain the required temperature and to ensure its “squeaky pupils” appropriate conditions for good growth.

In this article will be the recommendations for growing chickens at home in their first years of life.

The breeding chickens with the help of the incubator

This method of breeding chickens is quite in great demand, as it has a number of significant advantages, among which are the following:

  • Best use: in a single season in the incubator can be done at least ten broods.
  • Easy to use: the device does not require additional investments and special skills for handling them, and not have to worry about the eggs that the hen could rasclaat.
  • For once you can lay over fifty eggs.
  • Year-round chicken offspring output: built-in additional sensors and devices enhance the functionality of the incubator, thereby hatching in summer and winter.
The contents of chickens at home

The room

After the incubator to keep the chickens at home is not much difficulty. For this you should know a few basic care requirements for housing, where are the Chicks:

Cleanliness is one of the most important conditions for chicken premises. For this you need every day to clean the place of residence of juveniles, in order to avoid various infections.

If there is litter, it regularly needs to be changed, she was almost always dry and clean.

It is not desirable to keep a large number of Chicks in one place their content. It is important to provide free space for young animals to Chicks could freely run or walk, while all motor function. Therefore, the area of the premises for keeping inexperienced Pets depends on their number.

Permanent seclusion in a closed room is not recommended. Avian population need regular walking, but it is desirable to do when they come to pass already one month. Additional green forage in the fresh air will contribute to the good work of the digestive system of Chicks.

Light

Sufficient light is also an important prerequisite for keeping poultry. Depending on the age of the young is determined by the light regime.

In the first days of the chick’s life, the duration of daylight should be maintained for at least 18 hours. Then chickens four months of age this value can be reduced to 10 hours.

Such a light regime is applicable for any breed home young regardless of it egg or meat.

In winter, the duration of daylight supported by instruments of artificial lighting that are selected based on their capacity and the number of the bird population in the room.

Temperature for Chicks

The temperature regime also depends on the age category of birds.

Daily individuals five days up to the required temperature to 32 degrees above zero.

From the sixth day of life before nine days of age the temperature should be gradually lowered to 28 degrees above zero.

From the tenth day and the twentieth, it must reach 25 degrees.

In subsequent periods, the temperature should be maintained at 20-24 degrees above zero.

The optimum level of temperature can be achieved by using the appropriate lamps for artificial lighting. And in the winter you should install additional heaters.

Heating system

For heating of the box or cage with chickens you can use a variety of means.

To maintain a comfortable temperature in the place where the newborn or young chickens, apply the following types of heating:

  • Water or electric heating pad that is protected from moisture.
  • Plastic bottle filled with warm water and wrapped in a cotton or woolen cloth and possible to cover them with several layers of wool.
  • Bulb.
  • One or two of the reflector, which are fixed in a secure place for Chicks.

Special attention should be given to proper mounting of the lamps. The fact that when heating of the box with the chickens, we should not forget about their safety and be mindful of the ability of individual heat sources excessive heat or to cool. And you must knowthat warm air usually occurs unevenly, and the temperature in the opposite corner from the heater will be lower, respectively, than directly next to it by about 3-6 degrees.

Chickens egg breeds are often more mobile than their counterparts broilers. So a big house for Chicks can be divided into several parts to save space in the first few days. This will help save electricity and save precious kids power. To heat the boxes or cells have to months of age and then Chicks in their apartment, set the temperature around 18 degrees. If there is a deep litter preheating should be at 15 degrees.

Red lamps for heating Chicks

The sources of infrared radiation used to heat the Chicks need to be protected from moisture, shock, possible shock and curious Chicks. Should not also forget the risk of accidental fires, which can lead to serious consequences, therefore, heat lamp, covered with a protective casing to be hung at a safe height. At the moment there are many variants of such equipment, among which are the following:

Mirror red lamp with a red or clear bulb. In the first case, all the consumed energy is converted into heat, and the second, in addition, also in the light beam. These lamps are quite powerful and allow uninterrupted and reliable heat small Chicks.

Lamp with ruby dome of the bulb. This device is instantly heated and is very economical thanks to its reflecting ability.

From the height of the lamp depend on the parameters of the heat flow that must be regulated depending on the age of the chickens.

Newborn Chicks and to week age heat lamp with a height of 50 cm.

With the second and third weeks of heated chicken is made with a height of 72 cm from their litter.

For older specimens the bulb is mounted on meter height. The process results in the removal of the lamp temperature of chickens is reduced, and the area of heating and lighting is increasing. The use of red lamps helps to stimulate fast growth in Chicks and the development of good immunity.

How to care for Chicks and food

Feed for baby chickens: care from the first day

Immediately after hatching need to start feeding the chickens. But first, you must wait until they dry and get stronger.

Then on the bottom of the box or in the flat feeder put a little corn flour as it has a fine structure and will be the most suitable food for newborn Chicks.

The crushed yolk of newborn Chicks to give not recommended, as this product is quite thick for inexperienced youths. In addition, veterinary experts believe that such food will not be a normal load for the muscular structure of the stomach of a newborn chicken. And this could result in a violation of the structure and formation of the walls of the immature stomach of a newly hatched baby. Roughage is also contraindicated for small Chicks as it can cause disorders of the digestive system.

Feeding day old Chicks

Daily Chicks in contrast to newborns, it is possible to diversify the diet and addition of corn grits to provide the following kinds of feed:

  • Wheat.
  • Millet.
  • Semolina.
  • Ground oatmeal.
  • Fine ground barley.

The daily feeding of the nestlings must be carried out every two hours and give feed should be in small portions. Grains it is desirable not to mix, otherwise the Chicks will eat them selectively, choosing the most suitable, and in the future will have only this kind of product. Therefore, the feed mixture is best given in dry form and individually.

For the full development and growth in addition to cereals in a bird’s diet must include other components. Young specimens will be very useful cheese, so this product nourishes the body with the chickens calcium and nitrogenous substances. To start giving cheese can be on the second or third day after hatching, the light in the morning, after mixing it with cereals.

You should know that dairy products are very useful for newly hatched babies. Therefore, a water bowl instead of water you can pour the liquid kefir or whey.

On the third day the Chicks can begin to feed greens.

As green fodder is a good fit:

  • Nettle.
  • Clover.
  • The slimy.
  • Plantain.
  • Dandelion.

On the fifth day in the diet of chickens is recommended to enter the green onion, which has useful properties, ensuring good protection of the body Chicks from all sorts of intestinal disease.

Feeding weekly individuals

Chicks weeks of age are already beginning to give a mixture of the following grains:

  • Wheat.
  • Oat.
  • Barley.
  • Corn.

Grains are mixed in equal proportions. As a complement added to the mixture of dairy products and chopped parsley.

During this period, young Chicks are fed less frequently but in greater volume. During the day feeding should be carried out up to five times.

Monthly feeding chickens

When the Chicks performed a month they can already produce in the yard for walking. Therefore, in this period the main diet of chickens is green fodder. The use of grass or other greenery growing bird enriches the body with vitamins and other useful elements necessary for proper metabolism and healthy growth of chickens.

In addition, individuals layers is necessary to enter into the diet of grain flour, and from one and a half months to feed them whole grains. And also, you can give food waste and meat and bone meal.

Diseases of chickens

Chickens, like all the other Chicks of other species of birds exposed to various diseases.

The most common ones are the following diseases:

  • Salmonellosis.
  • Coccids.
  • Digestive disorders.
  • Beriberi.
  • Fever.
  • Poisoning.

For the proper treatment of the diseases need to know what symptoms they are characterized, and, if necessary, immediately contact the veterinary service.

Disease prevention Chicks

Preventive measures serve as pretty good protection for various diseases of Chicks.

Here are some useful tips and expert advice on this subject:

  1. Promptly clean up and disinfect the poultry house salt solutions, bleach or caustic sodium.
  2. Compliance with the required density of livestock in the territory of the house. Overpopulation Chicks in the same room can have a negative impact on their health.
  3. Quality food should be balanced and contain all necessary nutrients for normal development of the Chicks.
  4. Ventilation should be at the appropriate level, in order to avoid the occurrence of various pathogenic bacteria.
  5. Temperature, providing a comfortable content of Chicks should be monitored and maintained at an appropriate level.
  6. Systematically falling bird special drugs against various infectious diseases.
  7. Conduct timely and regular vaccination of birds.

Breeding chickens is a fairly time consuming process that will require from you a responsible attitude to this matter. In order for the Chicks to grow healthy and quickly developed need to be mandatory to follow all the rules of their content. In addition, one of the main conditions for the full development of their inexperienced pet is warm care and permanent care for them, resulting in you will get a corresponding return.

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